How to write a horse for sale advert

So you have decided to sell your horse and your horse is ready for buyers to view. Selling your horse with Horse & Hound can cost as little as £35 for an advert that goes online for six weeks as well as being published in the magazine, but before you book your horse for sale advert, how can you make sure it will bring buyers flocking to see your horse?

Simplicity is the key to writing a classified advertisement to sell a horse both online or in a magazine, but don’t be tempted to leave out any essential information. By putting more information into the advert you are more likely to sell the horse at the first attempt.

Apart from giving your horse’s vital statistics, (see list below) the advert should draw attention to anything that makes your horse sound special. A horse’s breeding can attract interest from buyers, so it’s worth mentioning a famous or successful sire or dam sire.

Photographs and video are useful to prospective buyers and can cut down on time-wasters, but it is important that they show the horse at its best. NB: Professional photographs can only be used in adverts with the photographer’s permission due to copyright, even if you’ve purchased the picture for your personal use.

Most buyers have a budget and many are put off if a price is not given or if “substantial price required” or PAO (price on application) are used. There is no point in people responding to your advert if they do not have the funds to match your asking price. Not giving a price will also exclude your advert from online searches for horses within a specific price range.

To decide on a price, check out other similar horses being advertised in your area on the internet. Bear in mind that these are asking prices and most buyers will try to haggle. Pricing horses too high is the most common reason for horses remaining unsold, so if you need a quick sale, don’t be greedy! If you are including tack and rugs in the sale, mention that in the advert.

Remember to include the area of the country that you are based and list a landline telephone number as well as a mobile if you can. An email address can also be a useful means of contact, although if used online you may end up receiving scam emails.

Once you have written the advert, ask yourself: “would I go and see this horse?” If the answer is no, you need to rethink the advert.

When supplying the advert online, check it carefully for spelling mistakes. If you are giving an advert over the phone, ask the person to read the advert back to you to check they have got the spelling correct.